Hornet's Sting
by Cabriel
Summary: Team Possible had disbanded but years later the streets of Triton were ruled by the mob. To fight crime, a new player in town must play their game.
1. Ron's Return

Disclaimer: I do not own Kim Possible and something that belongs to Greenway Productions.

Hornet's Sting

Chapter One: Ron's Return

Kim Possible missed Ron Stoppable. For two years she never knew where he went. It was like he had disappeared from the world. Even the super genius Wade Load couldn't find him.

It was like he didn't want to be found.

At twenty-one years old, Kim had given up her website to live a normal life. Without Ron, the missions meant nothing to her.

She now works as a freelance reporter, traveling the world in search for a good story. But it was just a cover. She traveled the world as a reporter in search of Ron.

But her search ended in misery. She could not find her best friend. Her heart was broken. She never told him how she really felt and she wished she hadn't pushed him away.

Two years ago they had an argument. Kim was finishing her course in journalism at Triton U. when it happened. It was simple, or so she thought then. But thinking about it she realized that she had treated Ron appallingly.

Kim forgot the reason for their fight but when she finds him, she would beg for his forgiveness.

"Girl, how's the life of a reporter?" Monique, her female friend asked as the two of them walked around Middleton Mall.

"Not so good," Kim sighed as she looked at one of the window displays. "Though some of the papers buy my stuff, most of them told me it's cheaper that they use their own than buy mine."

"They don't know what they're missing," Monique huffed as she urged her friend along. "Why not go full time?"

"I tried that. But they've got too much hot air in them. It's like they see me as someone who shouldn't be there. I did my pieces to the best of my abilities and the editor trashed it!" Kim said with a huff.

"The piece you did about the war?" Monique asked as the stopped in front of a magazine stand. "That was one of your best!"

"I know!" Kim picked up a magazine and riffled through the pages. "Those kinds of people rile me up."

"Have you tried this one?" Monique got a copy of a paper Kim never heard before.

"What's this?" Kim took the paper from Monique and looked at the name of the paper. "The _Middleton Sentinel?_" Kim never knew that there was a paper with that name.

"It's a new paper," Monique said. "But it's the best selling one. I read it and girl, you'd better believe that you could get in here easily."

"I'll think about it," Kim said, her thoughts trailed as they bought the paper and left.

>>>>>>>>

Ron Stoppable sighed as he looked at his office. He knew that it would likely be where he would spend most of his day, but he didn't complain. He planned to see what he started through and for the first time in his life, he would accomplish it.

"Hey Chief," Tara said as she poked her head into his office. "You have a 3 o' clock appointment." Ron smiled. His three o' clock. For weeks he had been trying to get some time from his busy schedule for that appointment. He would be absolutely lost if Tara wasn't around.

Tara was more than a secretary to him, she was his friend. She was one of the few people who liked him for he was. She had been struggling in her former job, a low paid clerk in one of the smaller establishments of Middleton. He bumped into her one day and decided to hire her as his secretary. And he never regretted that decision since.

"Anyone else tried to apply?" Ron asked. Tara smirked as she heard him talked seriously. She would never get used to his calm and serious demeanor. But when all the work was done, Ron was the first to sigh in relief and go back to his goofy ways.

"None that met your standards, Chief," Tara said. Ron knew what she was talking about and simply nodded. For the past year that Tara worked for Ron, she could tell that he missed his best friend. He wanted to call her but was afraid that she still hated him.

Considering that they had traded hurtful words, it was possible.

"Do you think I'm doing the right thing?" Ron asked as he took his coat and fedora hat from the rack.

"The end justifies the means," Tara said with a small smile. "Good luck," Ron took a deep breath and exited his office.

>>>>>>>>

Mr. Dr. Possible was in a bind. He had discovered, by accident, that someone from his lab was stealing valuable equipments and selling them in the black market. He had reported it to his superiors but it was too late to know that they were in the take too. Now he feared for the lives of his family.

Someone rang the doorbell, making him jump. This was no good. He was getting jumpy all of a sudden. He knew they were going to get him but he didn't know when or where, and that was killing him.

Reluctantly, Mr. Possible went to answer the door. He peered through the window to see who it was. Whoever it was, he was alone. Well, if the man was alone maybe it wasn't them. Or maybe he was good that they were confident that he could do the job.

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Possible opened the door, preparing for the worst.

"Olla! Mr. Dr. P.," Mr. Possible blinked at the sound of that voice. He never thought that hearing that voice gave him relief.

"Ronald," Mr. Possible smiled as he looked at his daughter's best friend. Ron looked like a stereotype reporter. Business suit and a fedora hat. Mr. Possible smiled at the image.

"You seem to be missing a prop," Mr. Possible joked as he urged him inside.

"It's the digital age, Mr. Dr. P.," Ron took out from his coat pocket a palm pilot. "My notebook, phone, camera and recorder all in one."

"So, you became a reporter as well, huh?" Mr. Possible said as they entered the living room.

"Something like that," Ron admitted with a smile. "Is Kim here?"

"Uh, no. Ronald. Kim's out with Monique… Speaking of Kim…"

"About that," Ron swallowed. He suddenly remembered the threat Kim's father made when he was just a teen. Ron wished Mr. Possible had forgotten that. Ron wished that there were not a space probe ready at the space center.

"Ronald, I can trust you, can't I?" Ron blinked his confusion. Something was up. He hasn't seen the Possibles in two years and the patriarch of the family was confiding with him.

"Absolutely, Mr. P." Ron was puzzled at Mr. Possible's demeanor. He seemed… scared.

"By telling you this, I may be risking your life as well," now Ron knew something was up. "Do you have some influence in the paper you're working for?"

"You might say that," Ron urged the older man to continue.

"It's like this…" Mr. Possible told Ron about his suspicions about certain members of his staff. He had collected enough evidence that would connect those members to the mob. The problem was, he did not know whom to trust. He told him that they may have bought out certain members of the government and if his finding saw the light of day, it may be the end of him and his family.

For a while, Ron blinked. He didn't know what to say. A simple comfort was not enough. He needed to do more. He needed to protect the ones he considers family. And he knew exactly how to do that.

"Mr. P. I know someone in the D.A.'s office that could help. I trust her explicitly and she might know the best course of action. But one question bothers me; whey haven't you told Kim?"

"You know how she is," Mr. Possible sighed. "She'll try to fix this all by her self. These are not the kind of people who you tangle with. They're coldhearted and vicious. They may use my family to get to me."

"Might I suggest that you tell your family first, as for Kim… I think I can handle her."

"Like you handled that situation you both had two years ago?" Ron's eyes were solemn and filled with regret.

"That was a mistake I'm going to fix," Ron said, determined in both courses. "I'll give my friend a call. She'll make the proper arrangements."

"What about your paper? Could someone be on the take?" Mr. Possible asked.

"No," Ron said it with such certainty that Mr. Possible believed him.

"So…" Ron said as he peeked through the curtain, looking at the street. It seemed clear. He then faced Mr. Possible with the biggest smile he ever had. "What's for dinner?"

>>>>>>>>>

Assistant District Attorney Betty Director sat in her office, pondering the case that was on her desk.

There were three crimes that occurred in Middleton. All of them had the same M.O. (modus operandi) The perps used highly advanced weaponry and gears that even Global Justice never had.

She just needed a link with the crimes and the high tech equipments. Betty sighed as she leaned on her chair. She took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Her glasses were special. One side was blackened to hide her eye. Unlike others that cover their eyes to hide a disfiguration, she hid it for a simple reason.

Her eye had no pigment.

The eye patch that she wore during her Global Justice days was there just to intimidate her foes. But she had normal 20-20 vision.

As she was about to replace the glassed back, she heard a buzzing sound, like a bee. She then rubbed the stem of her glasses and the buzzing stopped.

Betty closed the files and placed it in her briefcase. With a smirked, she exited her office with purpose.

>>>>>>>

Ron was cruising back to his apartment in his 1957 Cadillac convertible. Dinner at the Possibles was just as he remembered it. However, Kim was not there. Ron didn't know whether it was fortunate or not but he did miss her.

But there were more important things to worry about.

Ron pulled into his garage. Ron lived in an apartment building in the Middle of Middleton. It was actually quite near his office and quite convenient for his purposes.

Ron stopped the car and got out. His garage was ordinary. It had a set of tools and shelves. It seemed ordinary.

Ron opened the door and entered his apartment. His apartment had a big terrace where he could host parties but Ron had a different use for the terrace.

Entering his living room via glass sliding doors, Ron found himself tired as he sat on the couch.

"Tired, Stoppable-san?" a concerned female voice asked, making Ron sigh.

"I'm fine, Yori," Ron looked at his valet and close friend. During his stay in Yamanouchi, he had saved her life and now she was repaying him by serving him. Ron adamantly refused but Yori's code of honor was stronger than his resolve. He didn't want Yori as his servant but certain circumstances changed that he found something else she could help him with.

"You do not look fine," Yori said as she fixed Ron a lemonade. "You look like _kuso_, as you Americans say." Ron knew what the word was. He found out what it meant after Yori used it when she was frustrated.

"Maybe," Ron sighed as suddenly heard a buzzing noise. "Let's wait until I hear it from Dr. Director." Yori bowed and began to tip books that were on the shelf beside the fireplace. The fireplace suddenly lifted up, revealing a secret elevator, which the A.D.A. exited. As she did, the fireplace went down and Yori brought her a drink.

"Thanks, Yori," Betty said as she sipped her martini. "Hey, Ron."

"Hey Dr. Director." Ron greeted but Betty held up a hand and smiled.

"If we're to continue this unusual alliance, you should call me Betty," she said as she say on the stool by the bar where Yori was standing.

"It's still weird," Ron said as he stood to join her.

"So, I think this is not a social call?" Betty asked. Ron then pulled out his palm pilot and played the recording of his conversation with Mr. Possible. When Betty heard the entire conversation, she was concerned.

"I take it that you're surprised," Ron said as he looked at the ADA.

"Enlightened is more appropriate," Betty took out some files from her briefcase and showed it to Ron. :There were a series of unsolved crimes where the criminals used high tech equipment. With Dr. Possible's account, it cleared some things up."

"The this is, what can you do for him?" Ron asked.

"The usual, but if there's someone on the take, the Possibles wouldn't have a chance."

"Maybe _someone_ needs to pay these men a visit," Ron smiled as his eyes glittered with determination. Yori? Is the _Black Beauty_ ready?"

"I had made some changed but she is ready," Yori bowed and left the room.

"This is a dangerous game you're playing, Ron," Betty said as she fixed her things and prepared to leave.

"But Ronald Stoppable is not going to do anything," Ron said with a smile but then, his smile left him as he added in a softer tone. "They're family."

Betty sighed and then smiled.

"Just be careful," she said, leaving the same way she came.

Ron watched as she left. He knew this was a dangerous game, but it was a game he was willing to play.

"Everything is ready, Stoppable-san," Yori called out.

Ron sighed and went to get ready.

The game was about to begin.


	2. The new Player

Chapter II: The New Player

At Middleton warehouse district, all was quiet. The perfect setting for a secret meeting. A meeting that could only end in mischief. It was in warehouse 5 where evil had plotted against common man. And their evil was directed at one singular person; Dr. James T. Possible.

"So? When are we going to _persuade _Possible to shut his trap?" one of the men asked as he leaned on one of the crates while toying with his switchblade. For the moment, there were five occupants of the warehouse and Slim was always impatient with their jobs.

"We're waiting go the boss's go," said another who was playing solitaire. But the other three, who were playing craps were getting impatient as well.

"Maybe we could have some fun with his wife and daughter before we lean on him," Slim said with a sneer, unaware that his comment would be a mistake.

"Good evening, Gentlemen," a calm voice filled with authority came from the darkness of the warehouse. "And I use the term loosely." The men immediately stood in readiness, drawing knives and guns.

"Who's there?" Slim asked, nervously looking around for the intruder.

"Typical," the voice said as the men heard footsteps echoing through the warehouse. "Couldn't you have chosen a better location for you meetings?"

"Screw you," one of the men said but he couldn't see beyond the shadows.

"Unfortunately, I'm not into men," the voice mocked.

"What do you want?" Slim asked, toying with his knife nervously.

"So, onto business," the voice said. And with that final word, the owner of the voice emerged from the shadow. The men froze as they saw the man. Wearing a dark green overcoat and dark green fedora hat, the man looked at them as if they were mere irritants than threats. When he saw his face, they found that he was wearing a green mask with a symbol of a hornet on its forehead. "Please, put down your weapons." when they didn't comply, he sighed. "Very well, the hard way it is."

Suddenly, from out of the darkness, a lone figure clad in black attacked the five men, disarming them quickly since, in the attacker's eyes, they were inept and confused. The easiest foes.

The men were on the ground before they could do anything. The man in green looked at the men with amusement. "Really, and you guys call yourselves muscle." the person clad in black stood beside the man in green, looking at the men as if they would attack them with something dirty. Slim looked the the person who attacked them and his eyes widened. The person who had attacked them was wearing a black driver's outfit complete with a driver's hat and the person was wearing a black mask. Much to Slim's surprise, the person was obviously female. Her uniform clung to her curves and would be a distraction on its own.

"Who are you?" Slim asked. The man in green looked down on Slim and smiled. This was not a smile of amusement, it was a predatory smile that chilled him to the core.

"Tell your boss that this is _my_ town," he said. "They should do their business elsewhere, before I get mad. And when I get mad, she would be the least of your problems," the man pointed at the woman with his thumb. The man turned around, walking back into the darkness.

"Oh, if you have the time," he said in an afterthought. "Tell the other scumbags that this town belongs to the _Green Hornet_."

88888111188888

Dr. James T. Possible was on his way towards his car, relieved that the day was over. He couldn't help but notice the knowing looks his superiors were giving him. It was like they knew something was going to happen, to him.

He knew he should trust Ronald but he couldn't help but doubt if the carefree boy he knew could possibly help him in such a dire situation.

Taking a deep breath, Dr. Possible walked in the middle of the parking lot. Since it was way past quitting time, most of the people must have gone home.

Suddenly, he heard a buzzing sound. It almost sounded like a bee, only it more liked hummed than buzzed. _This was it, _he thought. If they had something sinister planned, they wouldn't get him without a fight. Turning around, he saw what looked like a Chrysler Imperial 2006 model. But from its movement, he knew that it was customized. Its green headlights shone in the darkness of the street. The car stopped beside him and the rear door opened. Dr. Possible couldn't see who was inside for the interior was covered in darkness.

"Enter if you value your family," a voice from within the car said. It was a command that will not tolerate it being ignored. Dr. Possible sighed and entered the car. So much for not getting him without a fight.

The interior of the car was dark. He could only see the outlines of his captor. Taking a deep breath, Dr. Possible faced the man in the shadows. "Yes Doctor?" the man asked like he was anticipating his objection. Gathering all the courage he had left, Dr. Possible glared at the man.

"Listen," he said. "I'm tired of these games. If you're going to kill me, kill me. But leave my family out of this!" With that, he was spent. The man in the dark nodded to the driver and the car slowly pulled out of the parking lot.

"You mistake me, Doc," the man said in an amused tone. "I'm not here to kill you. Quite the contrary, I'm here to offer my services." Dr. Possible looked at the man incredulously. What was this man's game?

"Services how?" Dr. Possible asked warily. He didn't trust this man but what choice did he have?

"Oh, you know. Protection," the man said casually. He had said it so casually that it didn't take a genius what he meant. Fortunately, Dr. Possible was a genius so the ramifations were clear. The man runs a protection racket. Dr. Possible didn't want anything to do with a criminal.

"Thanks but no thanks," Dr. Possible said, crossing his arms. "I know your type. You'd bleed me dry and if i didn't pay, you'd turn me in for the reward." the man chuckled as he leaned on the back of his seat.

"I have my reasons to helping you and bleeding you dry, as you said, is not one of them," Dr. Possible was confused. If this man was not here to extort him, why was he helping? "Quite simple, Dr. Possible. This is now my town and no one, and I mean no one, can muscle in."

"What's got that got to do with me?" Dr. Possible asked warily.

"You see, Doctor. You and I have the same, as the term goes, enemies. Logic concludes that you and I are friends," the man said but Dr. Possible frowned. He still couldn't trust the man.

"Give me one good reason why I should trust you," Dr. Possible demanded but the man simply opened his palm.

"Your car keys, if you please," Dr. Possible gave him his car keys after a moment of hesitation. "Nice. Remote control starter. This comes in handy," with that, he pressed the button and there was a loud explosion that came from the Center's Parking lot. "Very Handy," the man said, noticing that the Doctor paled at the implication of what had happened.

"Well, Doctor?" the man waited. Dr. Possible's gaze never left the blazing light that came from what used to be his car. Then, in a panic, he looked at the stranger.

"My family!" he shouted.

"It's okay Doc, we went there before we came for you. Needless to say, no ones going to bother you and yours tonight," the man assured him but still, Dr. Possible could not be convinced. With a sigh he turned to the driver. "Step on it." the car sped and not soon after, they were in front of the Possible Home. Immediately, Dr. Possible exited the car and ran towards the door, pounding it, begging for anyone to answer. It was to his relief that Mrs. Possible answered.

"What is it honey?" Mrs. Possible asked worriedly. Dr. Possible merely smiled and gave his wife a passionate kiss, which she, though confused, welcomed.

"It's nice to be home," Dr. Possible said as he looked behind and nodded to the waiting car. The occupant of the car smiled in understanding and urged the driver onward. "Yes, it nice to be safely home." Turning to his wife, he smiled. "What's for dinner?"

8888811118888

"Aw, Man. That was a close one," the man in the black car sighed as he slumped on the seat. "Another minute and I'll be without a father-in-law."

"But you are not yet married," the driver teased as she looked at her friend through the mirror.

"A small fact that I have to rectify," he grinned as he looked outside. "Besides, Tara tells me that _she_'s applying for investigative reporter. I'm both dreading and anxious the meeting."

"Where to now?" his friend asked.

"Home," he sighed. "I've got a big day ahead of me."

(end of 2)


End file.
